In the Blink of a Pie by Catherine Bruns

Author:Catherine Bruns [Bruns, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

Chapter Fourteen

“Oh, come on.” Heather began to laugh as she drove towards Bennington. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“What? That someone could be trying to kill me?” It was a horrible feeling to know someone wanted me dead, and even worse that a woman may have died because of me. I told myself I wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. We were only going to talk to Cameron, and Heather had appointed herself as my protector. It was a job she’d been very good at her entire life.

“No, silly. I’m talking about Jenna. If you dislike her, why did you hire her?”

“I don’t dislike her,” I said. “But there’s something about her that rubs me the wrong way. She’s only been working for the farm for a couple of days, and it’s like she’s already part of the family.”

A small smile played on the corners of Heather’s mouth. “You don’t have to worry.”

“About what?”

“Your mother’s still going to like you best,” she joked.

Oh, for crying out loud. I knew Heather was only joking, but it made me stop and think about what she’d said. My mother and I had finally gotten past our rocky relationship and were both on common ground. We loved and respected each other. It wasn’t like she was going to adopt Jenna and give her a home, like we’d done with Toast. So, why did this thing bother me?

I struggled to find the right words. “I guess I’m just surprised at how my mother’s acting. She always told me you can’t be friends with your employees.”

Heather made a left-hand turn onto a narrow, winding road. “Well, I’m glad that didn’t stop you and Noah,” she laughed.

“Very funny.”

“You should be glad that she’s getting along with Jenna,” Heather pointed out. “The last thing you need to worry about right now is more friction at the farm.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Besides,” Heather continued, “maybe Jenna is looking for a substitute mother in her life right now. She might have a rocky relationship with her own mom—like you once did.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” I admitted.

“Or Jenna’s trying to suck up to her boss.” Heather glanced slyly at me.

“Ha!” I laughed. “My mother can spot a suck-up a mile away.”

The colonial home on Elmwood Road had seen better days. We got out of Heather’s SUV and walked up the stone-filled driveway. The white paint on the outside frame was chipped in several places and needed a good pressure washing.

I thought of my own mother, who prided herself on her home’s appearance. Every summer she tended to her vegetable garden and azaleas with loving care. Because of her work schedule, she hired one of the neighborhood teenagers to mow the lawn, but I would occasionally do it on Sundays. Since my father died, she did everything else by herself, with the exception of snow removal in the winter. I had to admire her strength and determination. She wasn’t getting any younger, and I knew that working in the cafe, no matter how much she enjoyed it, exhausted her most days.

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